


Planning the Future

by RedheadedSuperhero



Series: Change of Plans [2]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alpha Dean Winchester, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Cuddling, Dad Castiel, Dean POV, Established Relationship, Feel-good, Fluff, M/M, Mating, Mating Marks, More Fluff, Mpreg, Omega Castiel (Supernatural), POV Castiel (Supernatural), Scenting, Single Parent Castiel, cuteness, dad dean winchester
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-14
Updated: 2020-04-06
Packaged: 2020-12-14 14:23:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21017219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedheadedSuperhero/pseuds/RedheadedSuperhero
Summary: After their relationship had started a little unexpectantly for both of them, Castiel and Dean have been happy together for over a year now. And the alpha believes it is time for the next step: Mating. There is just one possible obstacle in the way: Does Jack really want him in their family?Well, instead of worrying, Dean should just ask the kid! (So he does.)This is a little addition to Change of Plans. I advise to read that one first – but with so much fluff and so little plot, this story can probably be read as a stand-alone as well.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, lovelies! Since I just can’t find the time to write anything with more content, I have another short fluff-piece for you. I currently enjoy the idea of DadAlphaDean and I hope you’ll like it as well! I might add some more little tidbits in the future with this trio should anyone be interested.

**PLANNING THE FUTURE**

Dean absent-mindedly stirred the dinner he had prepared for Jack, frowning slightly at the pot before him – filled only with vegetables. _Pumpkin_ _ragout_, Jack called it, and claimed it was his favourite meal. At least for this season – the alpha knew by now that the kid’s taste could change pretty quickly. Dean himself preferred a very different kind of _ragout_ (the one with actual meat in it). He did not want to even imagine Sam’s teasing or smart-ass remarks if his brother ever found out how much Dean’s diet had changed in the past year. (But then again, knowing Sam, his soppy beta brother might just give him an encouraging nod, hoping that Dean would not die from cholesterol after all.) Moving in with a health-conscious omega and his _vegetarian_ kid had had quite an effect on Dean’s own food choices. It was not like he completely resigned from eating meat these days – thankfully, Jack did not expect the grown-ups to follow his good example, and Castiel enjoyed a good steak or a cheeseburger himself every once in a while – but more often than he liked, Dean found himself eating some vegan curry or vegetable lasagne or potatoes au gratin. And sometimes, even when it was his turn to cook, Dean found himself too lazy to add some greasy bacon or any other _delicacy_ to prevent himself from eating rabbit food all the time.

And it did not taste half bad, Dean thought as he still looked at the mushed orange stuff with little highlights of red (tomatoes) green (zucchini) and yellow (potatoes).

Dean heard the apartment door click open and shut a second later and felt himself grinning even before he heard the quick footsteps moving towards the kitchen.

“Dean! Do you know what Mr Cain said today?”

Dean felt his grin widen. He was already used to that excited tone in which Jack usually started to tell him about the highlights of his day as soon as he was through the door. Especially on Thursdays. Castiel usually worked until nine on that weekday, and Dean tried to be home from the garage early enough to have food ready by the time Jack got back from school. At first, Jack had told him that it was _unnecessary_, because he was _not a baby anymore_ and could _look after himself_. Which was true enough, Dean admitted; Jack was probably the most mature eight-year-old he had ever met – being quite independent and responsible probably came with growing up with only one parent. Dean had some first-hand experience in that department himself. Well, actually, it had often felt rather like growing up with no parent at all since his father had often been away for work and only came back home for the weekends, leaving Dean alone to care for his baby brother. Remembering his not too happy childhood, Dean did not mind rearranging his schedule for Jack – and he was pretty sure that the kid did not mind either.

Before Dean found out what Mr Cain might have said, Jack was beside him, one hand loosely around Dean’s hip, and looked into the pot on the stove. “Yes! It’s pumpkin day again.”

“Sure. Just like yesterday. And tomorrow, and probably the day after that,” Dean grumbled in the tone of someone who suffered an unspeakable fate.

Aside from being a vegetarian, Jack was also a big fan of seasonal and regional food. And Castiel fully supported him on that issue – so the Novak-Winchester-household basically added pumpkin to all kinds of meals from September to November.

Jack narrowed his eyes at Dean in concentration, like he was trying to figure out if the alpha’s last comment had been a joke or if he was truly upset. He looked very much like a small version of his father, or so Dean thought. Jack could be just as easily confused by irony, was equally clever and used too long words for his age; he had the same directness as his father, that sometimes bordered on rudeness; and the same sense of naivete on some subjects. Dean was just not sure how much of all that had to do with his age, and how much was just Jack. Time would tell.

Dean shot the boy a grin, a clear sign that he was not really upset, and took some plates from the cupboard while Jack washed his hands in the kitchen sink (a little secret between the two of them, because Castiel always send them to the bathroom – but Dean did not know why they could not wash their hands just as easily where they washed their dishes).

When they sat down to eat a moment later, the alpha finally asked: “So, who is Mr Cain and what did he say?”

Immediately, Jack’s eyes widened in excitement. “You remember that we went on an excursion to the apiary today?” Dean nodded, pretty sure that Jack’s teacher, Mr Fitzgerald, had never used the word _excursion_. He had not even mentioned it in his parent’s notification but wrote about a _funucational trip to the bees_. “Mr Cain is the owner of twenty beehives. And when we arrived, he asked us all kinds of questions. And I knew the answers to almost all of them, so he said that we probably didn’t even need him as a guide – since I know as much about bees as he does! But you know how much dad likes bees, right? And how sometimes he talks about them for ages?” Dean nodded again, this time with a smirk. His omega was downright obsessed with bees. So much so that Dean thought he would have to plan for some extra space in their new home, for a small beehive. Not that he and Castiel had ever talked about moving somewhere else, but… Dean might have started to look at a few places in the past couple of weeks. This apartment here was nice, sure, but ever since Dean fully moved in six months ago, it was starting to feel a little crowded. Jack’s room was pretty small, and, well, if there would ever be more of their family then it might quickly feel cramped. And even if it would just be the three of them, a house would be nice – with a garden and enough space for a swing or something like that. Dean might have _accidentally_ found the perfect house a week ago – and might have stopped by every day since. He had even already spoken to the estate agent. Simply out of curiosity.

He just was not sure when he should talk to Castiel about it.

_Calm down, Winchester, don’t get ahead of yourself_, Dean thought. _There is something else you wanted to do first._

Dean stared at Jack, who was still babbling on about bees. But the alpha did not really listen as he was too busy to ask himself whether he should start the subject now – or after they had cleaned up.

“…so what do you think, Dean?”

“Huh?”

“About visiting Mr Cain with dad someday? He said he would be happy to show his beehives to dad and with a _con-nois-seur_,” Dean chuckled inwardly at the way Jack emphasised the word and how he scrunched up his whole face in concentration, “like me, he could always use the help.”

Dean let out a short laugh and agreed they should propose it to Castiel tomorrow morning (no sooner, because Jack was supposed to be fast asleep before Castiel even got home on Thursdays). Dean could hardly wait to see the mixture of amusement and worry on his omega’s face when Jack told him about their little school trip. This Mr Cain must have either thought Jack was quite a handful, or he had been genuinely pleased by the boy’s enthusiasm. Dean assumed it was the latter – because Jack usually picked up pretty quickly when someone was annoyed with him. And then this chattering smart aleck in front of him could turn completely quiet and insecure in an instant. It usually made Dean want to punch something when he witnessed it. Fortunately, it had not happened too often in Dean’s presence – but he might have snarled at that storyteller at the carnival, who had been fired at with a load of questions from a certain blue-eyed boy.

When Castiel had first told Dean about his son, the omega had mentioned that Jack could be very shy and guarded, especially around strangers. And _especially_ especially around _alpha_ strangers. So Dean had started to worry for a moment – he liked to think that he had a way with kids, even Charlie and Sam had repeatedly said so, but maybe Jack had had so many bad experiences that it would be really hard to win him over. So, with those worries in mind, Dean had been more than a little bit surprised when on that Sunday afternoon, a cheery blond boy had walked up to him – and basically talked his ear off ten minutes in. Well, in all honesty, Jack _had_ seemed a little nervous when he found a strange alpha in the kitchen instead of his father, but he had easily accepted Dean’s explanation that he was a friend of his dad’s and that Castiel was still asleep in his bedroom while Dean just wanted to make him a sandwich for when he finally woke up.

“Yes. Dad sleeps a lot when he is in heat, and it is important to remind him to eat and drink regularly,” Jack had replied and given Dean an approving nod. Like a teacher to a student who had given the right answer to a difficult question. But Dean had not felt comfortable to talk about the kid’s father’s heat, so he quickly changed the subject to how (and why) Jack had come home in the first place – and then had made him call his uncle before Balth would have turned to the police.

And after that, it had not taken long until the boy had started to interrogate Dean about whether he had a family, and what his job was. It had felt a little like some early 2000’s dating show – _Date my Dad!_ – until Dean had changed the subject to something less captious (for him): the solar system. And in no time, Jack had lost that remaining wariness completely and chatted with Dean like they had known each other for years, in a way only kids could. No trace of the shy child Castiel had been talking about.

Weeks later, Jack had confided in Dean that he had just smelled so _good_, and not threatening at all, so he had just known Dean was not a bad guy. Dean had felt something warm swell in his chest at those words – just like when Jack had taken his hand to show him around the observatory on that day he took him and Castiel out for the first time.

A little over a year later, they cleaned up the kitchen together and put the rest of their food in the fridge, for Castiel when he got home. Completely used to each other’s company by now.

“What should we do now?” Jack asked, looking at Dean with his eager smile. It had started months ago – on Thursdays, they would do something, together. During summer, they had often gone to take a swim in the nearby lake, or Dean had given Jack his first archery lessons. They had even once worked on the Impala together. Mostly things that Castiel was not interested in, even though the omega was happy that his kid was spending more time outside than he used to. Still, when the weather was bad, they sometimes just watched a movie or played _Sorry_ on the kitchen table for hours. Or Jack wanted to do an experiment from one of his many books – with Dean having some difficulties to explain how _exactly_ a lemonade batterie worked (thankfully, he could always glance at said book). The alpha preferred the ones where he just had to build something complicated – that, he was good at.

“You don’t have any homework to finish first?”

Jack rolled his eyes – looking much more like Dean than Castiel in that moment. “We had an excursion today, Dean. Mr Cain did not give us any homework.” He hesitated a moment. “But I could show you the flyer he gave us. It has some interesting advice on what _everyone_ can do to help the bees.”

Jack opened his mouth in a way Dean just knew would result in a speech about saving the insects, or stopping climate change, or looking after the wellbeing of all animals --- Dean loved this little do-gooder, he really did, but right now, he had something else on his mind.

“You know what, why don’t we just go to the living room first. I --- ahem--- I wanted to talk to you about something.”

Jack narrowed his eyes in suspicion – it was not the first time either Dean or Castiel tried to abstract him from teaching the grownups about fundamental problems – but then he just nodded regally and led Dean to the couch.

When he sat down next to Jack, Dean’s mouth suddenly turned dry. He had not expected he would be so nervous all of a sudden. This should be easy. And Jack would not reject him ---- would he? It somehow did not help how concentrated Jack examined him, with that cute little wrinkle over his nose that made him look so much like his father.

“Look, Jack…your father and I…” Dean cleared his throat and looked towards his hands rather than at Jack. “We have been together for over a year now. And I’ve been living with you two for months … and I like to think that things are going pretty great. For all of us. So I wanted to ask you...” Dean made the mistake of looking into Jack’s face again and he stumbled over his words at the wide-eyed expression. He cleared his throat again and then said without much stuttering: “What I am trying to say is, Jack, you and your dad are the best thing that ever happened to me. And I wanted to ask you whether it would be all right with you if your dad and I… mated?”

Jack blinked. It seemed that Dean had achieved the impossible and rendered the kid speechless. Only his eyes were glinting suspiciously.

“Mated? Like, with a mark and all?”

“Yeah, that usually comes with being mated.”

“And we would still live together… and we’d be like … like a real family?” Jack blinked again and one lonely tear ran down his cheek. He didn’t seem to notice.

On instinct, Dean laid an arm around Jack who just huddled a little closer.

“You’re already my family, you know that, right? Whether I put a mark on your dad or not doesn’t change that. I’ve seen you two as mine for a long time now.”

_Mine_ – a real alpha thing to say. Dean chided himself inwardly, but Jack didn’t seem to care (at least not in a bad way) as he cuddled only closer to Dean and all but rubbed his head under the alpha’s chin. As Dean drank in the boy’s scent, he knew just how true his words were. For him, Jack was as much his son as he would be if he had sired him. Part of his pack, like Sam was, or Castiel. His brother had teased him a little the first time he brought Jack over to spend some time with him, knowing how important it was for Dean that all their scents intertwined. Just as Castiel had smiled knowingly, and extremely pleased, when the alpha had suggested for the first time that Jack could stay with Sam and Eileen during one of Castiel’s heats.

“So, is that a yes? You’d be all right for your dad and I to mate?”

“Of course, Dean! That would be… _awesome_!”

Dean chuckled. Good to know that he rubbed off on Jack a little bit as well. They sat there together for a few moments until Jack tensed up a little. If Dean had not known him so well by now, he might not even have noticed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Jack replied, not looking up.

Dean frowned. This might have been the first time Jack had lied to him.

“Jack… if you think this is too soon, I can wait. I wouldn’t mind. Nothing has to change.”

“It’s not that. I really want you and dad to be mates. Maybe then people will even stop looking funny at us.”

Dean frowned – he had heard enough stories about how Castiel had been treated in the past, for being an unmated omega parent. But he feared it would not help Jack if he started snarling right now at an invisible villain from the past. “Then what’s bugging you?”

“Do you… will you have more kids? With dad?”

“I … ahem… I don’t know. Maybe.” The question surprised Dean, or maybe it was the wary tone. In all honesty – he did want more children, but it wasn’t easy to discuss this topic with Jack without Castiel around. They had talked about the subject before, yes, but never in an all too serious way. Nothing binding. But Castiel knew that Dean wanted to have kids, he was sure of that, and the alpha had always assumed that Castiel was at least open to the idea. Otherwise he would have said so by now. Sometimes they had teased each other about what their children would be like – bookworms like Castiel or more interested in cars and sports like Dean. But they had never let that teasing go too far – at least Dean was always aware of what that may say about Jack. About which characteristics he might have inherited from his father. His _other_ father. “What about you? Do you want siblings?”

Jack was quiet for long enough that Dean assumed he was trying to find a polite way of saying _No_. And his heart ached a little.

But instead of saying _no_, Jack asked, his voice unusually small: “Would you still go fishing with me, even when you had your own kids?”

Dean turned around to make sure Jack saw his smile – they had planned to go fishing together ever since Dean had told how he had done this with his own father. “Sure. What makes you think I wouldn’t?”

“Because --- well, Audrey once said that when an alpha mates an omega with a kid, they usually just want some of their own. And that they are nice to the kid in the beginning, but once they have their own, they will all but forget about them. Because they’re not really,…” Jack gulped, “…not really _their_ kids, you know.”

Dean was appalled by the mere insinuation. But he knew about cute little Audrey with her pigtails and oversized Teddy – and how her father had once gone on vacation with his new mate, leaving the girl alone for a few days. But Audrey’s situation was not the problem right now.

“Come here, buddy.” Jack snuggled back up to Dean. “I don’t know what Audrey told you, but trust me, Jack, you are very much my son. And whether your dad and I will have more kids or not, it won’t change that you are mine. In fact, I would like… well, if your father says yes and will have me as a mate, I thought I might… you know, adopt you.”

Dean cursed himself a little for saying it out loud – he had definitely wanted to talk about this to Castiel first. But it was something that had been twirling around in his mind for a while – like buying a house and putting his mark on Castiel. He wanted things to be official – both with Castiel as well as Jack. Now, he just had to find the perfect romantic surroundings to ask Castiel not only to mate him, but also to adopt his son. He had pretty good hopes in the first issue – they had been talking about mating a lot by now, and more seriously than about their potential kids – but he did not know how Castiel would respond to the second request. He _was_ pretty protective of his son, and maybe he did not want to give another alpha the chance to disappoint Jack.

“I would like that very much,” Jack said, still snuggled up to Dean.

For the next two hours, they did not talk much anymore, and Dean had wordlessly started an episode of Steven Universe. He had never really watched the show, just knew that Castiel and Jack loved it, and he was surprised that he almost teared up a little bit at times. But maybe he was just so easily moved because of the conversation he had just had, the one that had resulted with a happy smelling boy in his lap.

And, gods, did Jack smell happy. So much so that all Dean’s alpha senses tingled with pride and joy. The scent was bright and sweet and open – and not for the first time did Dean think that Jack would probably turn out to be an omega. He was just eight, so it would take another two to three years until they could be certain, and then hopefully another two to three until a possible first heat hit (if Dean was right), but the alpha had by now often enough smelled a little whiff of the clean and sweet scent that was typical for omegas. But of course, Dean might just imagining things, or Jack’s scent might simply be a little sweet for a beta or an alpha – so he had never said anything to anyone, not even Castiel. Mostly because Castiel had never once mentioned that he was curious what Jack would present as in a few years’ time – and Dean did not want to come across as the kind of asshole who thought it was important.

It was only when Dean heard the key being pushed in the door that he looked at the watch again – and panicked for a moment. It was already half past nine. And Jack should be in bed for an hour by now. But when Castiel walked up to them, trench coat still on like the first time Dean had seen him in this vey room (playing nervously with the hem of his shirt and looking like he expected Dean to eat him; and not in the good way), the omega smiled fondly at the two figures huddled together on the couch.

“Isn’t it a bit late for a school night?” He asked, fooling neither Dean nor Jack with his stern tone.

“It is,” Jack admitted before Dean could answer. “But we can make exceptions for special occasions, right? Like Gabriel’s birthday, when we got home after _eleven_.” He looked pretty smug. “Dean and I had some very important things to discuss today.”

“Oh? You did?” Castiel raised an eyebrow.

Dean tried to cut in before Jack revealed too much, but the kid was just too excited to even notice his unsubtle coughing. “Yes! Dean asked me for my … _approval_” Dean frowned, not remembering using a word like that, which sounded like it came straight out of a romance book from 200 years ago “to your mating. And I said yes. And he was very happy about it.”

There was a warm glint in the omega’s eyes as he looked between the two of them. Dean let out a little groan. This was not how he had planned things. And Jack, in his excitement, just made it worse by crying out:

“And Dean wants to adopt me! Isn’t that just awesome! Then we will be a real family!”

Castiel’s eyes widened in surprise and Dean quickly got from the couch, pulling Jack with him, then threw him over his shoulder, which had the boy laugh out joyously.

“Know what?” Dean growled playfully. “Your dad’s right – you really should be in bed.”

After Jack had brushed his teeth and changed into his pyjamas, Dean stroked a hand over his head and wished him good night. When he turned around to leave Jack’s room, Castiel was leaning at the doorframe, looking down at his son with that typical soft expression, then turned those eyes to Dean, took the alpha by the hand and led him outside. Directly into their bedroom.

“What are you doing, Cas? Aren’t you hungry? We have leftovers from our pumpkin dish of the day.”

Castiel snorted. “I visited Gadreel in my afternoon break, and he insisted I had some bagel with my coffee, so I’m not that hungry, no. Besides, I have something more important in mind than eating.” With that, he closed the door, and instantly crowded in on Dean until the alpha had the wooden doorframe in his back and Castiel closely in front of him. The omega even put his hands on either side of Dean’s head, like he tried to trap him – which, despite both of them knowing that with his alpha strength Dean had absolutely no problem to break free of, Dean found kind of sexy. Especially when Castiel looked at him as intently as he did now. “So… I hear you want to mate me?”

Dean licked his lips – and noticed how Castiel’s eyes followed the movement of his tongue.

“You know, this is not how I planned to do this…” He mumbled. “Having an eight-year-old act as matchmaker.”

Castiel smiled, and let his hands sink down to grab Dean’s shoulders lightly. In response, the alpha rested his hands on Castiel’s hips.

“Then how _did_ you plan it?”

“Saturday night. Jack would stay with Sam – I even got my brother to ask you with some pretext, so you wouldn’t be instantly suspicious. Then I would cook a nice dinner for us, and afterwards we would watch Groundhog Day to get you into a nostalgic mood about how romantic it all was when we first met…”

“Romantic? You mean when I took a complete stranger home to help me through my heat while I was nervous the whole time that you might in fact be a serial killer?” Despite his words, there was a small smile on Castiel’s face, and he stroked a hand up Dean’s neck to the back of his head.

“No, not that part. I meant like when we seemed to fit perfectly together so very, very quickly.”

“And then you would have asked me? During the movie or afterwards?”

“Now, that would depend on how… ahem… cuddly you got.”

“Cuddly?” Now, Castiel let his hands fall down and tried to step back, but Dean did not let go of him.

“Come on, baby. You know how you get when we watch a movie. You either fall asleep – or you try to … let’s say _distract_ me.”

Castiel tried to glare at Dean, but both men knew that whenever they watched a movie together, the evening quickly ended in the bedroom, one way or the other. When Dean really wanted to watch something, it was usually better to just let Castiel read a book beside him (and not try to persuade him how absolutely important it was to watch all of his Steve McQueen DVDs.) But before Castiel could argue about how Dean simply picked the wrong movies, the alpha quickly closed the distance between them and kissed Castiel on the lips, short and firm. He then made a step forwards again, and the omega had to step back. “I love you, Castiel Novak.” Another peck to the side of Castiel’s mouth, followed by another step. “You’re strong, and smart, and sexy as hell.” He quickly nipped at Castiel’s neck at the same time as the omega felt the bed behind him, no more room to back up any further. Having successfully lured Dean to their nest.

Without even trying to interrupt Dean’s speech, the omega got rid of his own clothes, as quickly as Dean had ever seen. But still, he kept talking.

“And you would make me the happiest alpha if you allowed me to put my mark on you, just as I would be happy to wear yours.”

“Then let’s mate,” Castiel finally replied.

The fact that Castiel had immediately brought him to the bedroom and was now lying down on the bed, completely naked already, probably should have been enough of a hint, but still Dean asked a little perplex: “Right now?”

“Of course right now. I’m not gonna wait for another few months until you make up your mind or until you think you found the perfect moment.”

Dean slowly crawled on top of Castiel, tugging his shirt over his head in the process, goofy smile on his face.

“Months? You’ve been waiting --- for months?”

“Yes, Dean. I would not have asked you to move in with us if I didn’t plan to mate you.”

Dean blinked. “I thought… this was supposed to be a test run or whatever. To see if we were all … compatible.”

Castiel let his hands wander over Dean’s broad back.

“Dean, I knew we would all be very compatible ever since you first took us camping. When you patiently showed Jack how to make a fire from scrap – even though he is not the most practical person and took several attempts – and when you then listened to him explain the stellar constellations the whole night, or when you didn’t even bat an eye as he vomited in your precious car on the ride back.” They both let out a laugh at that statement – Dean’s a little bit strained. “Jack adores you, and from all I see, you very much seem to feel the same way. You already treat him like your kid, rubbing your scent over him all the time, consciously or not, and how important it seems to you that he gets along with your brother and Charlie and Benny….”

Despite all the praise, Dean frowned a little. All Castiel had said had somehow been about the kid. And as much as Dean loved Jack, he did not want to mate Castiel just for him. But he needn’t have worried.

“And _I_ have been in love with you since that first heat. You’re kind and funny and I--- I have felt a lot more like myself ever since I met you. You make me happy and somehow more… confident. I don’t care that much about what others think anymore. To know that someone like you would want me – to hell with what anyone else might think.”

Dean interrupted Castiel with a fierce kiss – and from then on things got very heated very fast. They did not spend as much time with foreplay as usually, and Dean’s knot tied them together after only fifteen minutes of almost frantic touching – and that was when they bit into each other’s neck, marking their alpha and omega for the rest of their life.

Both men still in a haze, Dean licked lazily over the claim on Castiel’s neck, trying to ease the pain. The ache of his own was not even noticeable in his high mood, and he hoped the omega felt the same.

“This kinda ruined my weekend plans, though,” he eventually growled into Castiel’s ear, knowing fully well what that tone of voice did to Castiel’s toes. “You know the romantic dinner, the slow and passionate sex.”

Castiel smiled. “I don’t see why we can’t still have slow and passionate sex. Or dinner. And maybe you could show me that house you’ve got your eyes on.”

Dean lifted his head from the omega’s neck to raise an eyebrow at Castiel.

“What? Thought you were so sneaky there, alpha? But I noticed how you were looking at the real estate ads for weeks now, _and_ I noticed when you suddenly stopped. Besides, Gabriel might have seen your Baby beside a _For Sale_ sign this week. And my brother gossips like an old lady.”

Dean snorted out a laugh. He did know that.

“You really want to adopt Jack?”

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about this for a while. You know, I want to be able to sign papers or to be called to the principal’s office.” And what Dean did not say, did not even want to think about right this moment: What if anything ever happened to Castiel? What if Castiel’s ex then somehow got interested in his son? Castiel would laugh at the idea – but Dean was sure that as soon as Luce Morningstar laid eyes on Jack, for whatever reason, he would see what a treasure he had let go. “But only if you want me to, of course.”

“I would love to.” He let out a short sad laugh. “I had never even dreamed that I would meet an alpha who wants my son. As his.”

Before he could reply, Castiel pulled Dean’s face down to his and kissed him in a way that conveyed more emotions than words ever could.

Even though his brain told him that this, right now, was as good as things could be, Dean felt oddly --- on edge all of a sudden. Something was missing. It was about the same time he felt his knot go down that he realised what bothered him. What made his alpha side so restless. He rose from the bed, put on some sweatpants he found on a chair, and left the room to an outraged cry of “Dean!” from his mate.

But Castiel looked a lot more friendly when Dean returned a few moments later with a half-asleep Jack in his arms. He laid the boy down in the middle of the bed – who had not even protested even though he only very rarely sneaked up to them at night – and then the alpha put an arm around Castiel and Jack. _This_ was perfect, he thought as he smelled their mixed scents in the air, somehow needing them both around after he had formed a mating bond with his omega. And from the look on his face, just as he dimmed the light, Castiel felt the same.

“G’night,” Jack murmured sleepily. “Dads.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hallo, lovelies! I have not written any Destiel in months now and since we all should stay at home these days anyway, I thought I might try to get back into it. I have a longer fic planned, but I am not sure if I really have the motivation/energy to finish it (and I hate not finishing stories), so I decided to start small with a little update on this fluff-fest. It is just some more feel-good stuff – which we all need right now.
> 
> Stay safe! And wash your hands.

UNEXPECTED VISITOR

For the hundredth time in the last 48 hours, Castiel tried to figure out what was wrong.

He narrowed his eyes as he watched the pretty blonde waitress oh-so-accidentally brush a hand over Dean’s arm. His frown then deepened when the beta’s smile turned seductive, her eyes firmly on Dean as she leaned towards the alpha to give him the receipt. (And probably her phone number.)

Castiel coughed loudly to remind her of his presence in the almost empty diner, but he might as well have been a plant pot. In her defence, he _was_ standing pretty far away from the counter. They had planned to get some burgers-to-go and Dean had ordered the food while Castiel had intended to wait outside, enjoying the sun on one of the first warm days of spring. But when the waitress had greeted Dean with an overly cheery wave, Castiel had moved closer to the inside and was now basically standing in the open door. Where he could watch her hand brushing over Dean’s as she handed him their burgers.

Seriously, woman, that alpha is wearing a mating mark! (_And_ Castiel’s scent was all over him.)

Castiel cleared his throat again, but this time more to sort his own thoughts instead of trying to get anyone else’s attention.

He liked to think he was not a jealous person. He also liked to think this was a good thing – because being jealous _and_ being mated to Dean Winchester sounded like a hard life. Dean liked to flirt. Castiel knew that, had known it basically since before he had known anything else about Dean – he _had_ approached Castiel at a Coffee Shop in broad daylight, after all. And Castiel usually did not mind that Dean liked to flirt. It was not even intentional; it was just how Dean talked to people – he did it with his customers, with any barista (or waiter) as much as with Jack’s school principal, Mr Ketch. Part of the reason Castiel did not mind his mate’s flirting was because it was not the kind that made anyone want to tear their clothes off (Dean reserved _that_ for Castiel), but the sort that made the other person smile and feel a little better about themselves. And Castiel knew that Dean was his, knew he never intentionally led anyone on.

So Castiel was not surprised when Dean immediately pulled his arm back and even frowned a little, his dazzling smile toning down just enough to let the woman opposite him know he was not interested, but not so much that she would be offended.

Castiel sometimes wondered how good Dean was with people.

But he wondered even more about what had him so nervous. It could not be the waitress. But maybe…

Dean finally turned around and walked towards Castiel with a big smile and a bag of burgers held high like a prize. (Which it somehow was: Jack was at a birthday party for the late afternoon/evening and the adults could eat anything that was not approved by their son. Not that Jack usually said much when they decided to put some meat on the grill, but his looks spoke volumes.)

It had been well over two years now since Castiel had started to date Dean, over a year since they had mated, and he usually felt very secure in their bond. Dean loved him; Castiel knew that. Even though he was still amazed by that fact.

So it was confusing, even to him, why he suddenly had doubts. It had taken a while for him to realise that this strange knot in his stomach was because he was afraid that Dean would eventually leave.

And it was the stupidest, most illogical, dumb fear – Castiel knew that. But there was that tiny little voice that told him something was going to go wrong. A part of Castiel seemed to be sure that he would end up alone again. Alone with a baby.

“You all right, sweetheart?” Dean interrupted Castiel’s thoughts, standing close, still grinning. “I expected you to either rip the burgers out of my hands or kiss me senseless in a fit of gratitude, because your strong alpha managed to provide food for you.”

Castiel chuckled lightly – like Dean had intended – and rolled his eyes at the same time. “Yeah, some great alpha I got me, who managed to order a couple of cheeseburgers all by himself.”

“Hey! I also got pie.”

“Of course you did,” Castiel deadpanned. He looked up at his mate, who wore a cute mixture of a pout and a smirk on his face, and could not stop himself from leaning forward and kissing those soft lips.

When he stepped back, Dean’s smile had settled on something warmer than a smirk. Still, he said: “That’s more like it.” The alpha then pulled an arm around Castiel’s shoulders and led him to his car.

On their way home, when Dean’s happy scent calmed Castiel like it always did, the omega tried to reason with that stupid, nagging voice in the back of his head.

This situation was completely different than 10 years ago. This time, Castiel was in a serious relationship. He was mated to a devoted alpha who had been nothing but kind to him. An alpha who very obviously looked forward to having another child.

Even before they had mated, Dean had made it clear that he would be open to the idea of extending their family. And when they had moved into their new home, he had sometimes mentioned how this or that room could be used as a nursery. How good a swing would look in their garden. And he had always smiled happily whenever Castiel had agreed.

And then during Castiel’s heat a few days ago, the first one where he had not taken any pill beforehand, Dean had been nothing short of enthusiastic the whole time. Not to say that the alpha was not always very excited during Castiel’s heats, but there had been something different this time. 

It made absolutely no sense for Dean to leave Castiel if he was pregnant.

Hell, it would not even make sense if they had been still in college, neither mature enough nor really knowing what they wanted to do in life. Dean would never leave any omega he had just knocked up, even if it was only a one-night stand. He was not like that. He was no Lucifer.

But still, Castiel’s past must have left a part of him broken. A little thread of trust.

It had been a horrible time. One day, Castiel had been happy – maybe not quite as happy as he was now, but as much as you could expect from an awkward college nerd who had somehow managed to catch the school’s heartthrob. And just after one night of stupidity – _come one, you’re not in heat, Castiel, and it really feels much better without one_ – all had fallen away. His perfect boyfriend had turned from him as had most of his pious family. He had had to finish his degree with no mate but a big belly that made anyone sneer down on the fallen omega. And then there was that little baby he had no idea how to take care of, no job and thus no money, not even a place to stay.

And, yes, now he absolutely thought it was worth it. Jack would be worth so much more. And he had gotten help from unexpected sides, like Gabriel and Balthazar. Castiel just was not sure he could go through something like that again.

But he wouldn’t.

Despite the fact that he was more mature now, had a system of family and friends he had not known before, --- more important than anything else: Dean would not just leave.

Dean would love their baby to bits and pieces.

“What are you thinking about?”

Dean had parked the car in front of their beautiful house and looked at his mate with a grin. Castiel sniffed a little and noticed that his own scent had turned excited. A good kind of excited.

Castiel took Dean’s hand.

“About our baby. About how much I … _we_ are going to love her.”

Something warm showed in Dean’s eyes, something the alpha hardly ever let anyone else see, apart from Castiel.

“Her? You think it’s gonna be a girl?”

Castiel shrugged. “The chances are fifty-fifty. But, yes, I do.” Castiel stroked a hand over his stomach.

There was something close to worry in Dean’s eyes when he looked down at Castiel’s hand. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. Your heat’s just over. We can’t yet be sure it worked.”

“Dean. We basically were tied together for 48 hours. It would be a miracle if it had _not_ worked.”

“Well, you can never know for sure.”

Dean and Castiel then basically shrugged at the same time. Castiel knew the alpha was not wrong to be cautious, but alpha-omega-couples had hardly ever difficulties to sire children during a heat, at least if they were both healthy. And Castiel had been to his doctor just two weeks ago, who had told him bluntly that she would be very much surprised if Castiel was not pregnant by his next appointment.

“Anyway, I kinda hope it will be another boy.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow. He had always assumed that Dean would not mind which gender their child would be. He had never mentioned he had hopes for an alpha son or something else many other alphas might say. But of course, that was not what had Dean concerned:

“I mean,… I can already see a sweet blue-eyed baby girl wrapping me right around her finger.”

Castiel chuckled. But he did not say how, nearly three years ago, their seven-year old _son_ had managed exactly that in less than an hour.

Clearly, their kid didn’t need to be a girl to charm Dean in a heartbeat.

>>><<< 

Three days had passed since Castiel’s moment of jealousy, or insecurity, or abandonment issues – he was still not sure how serious his feelings of discomfort were. But most of those days, he had been happy. And not concerned. Almost.

They still did not know whether Cas was truly pregnant, as much as Dean seemed to inhale his scent every day, trying to catch something new in it. It might take another few weeks before any alpha would notice the scent of pregnant omega on him – but Dean seemed convinced that since he was so attuned to Castiel’s scent, he would easily notice when something changed.

It was nearly impossible to doubt their bond, or Dean’s commitment, when the alpha was so giddy around his mate. And no matter what he said about not getting their hopes up – there was already something different about the way Dean treated Castiel. He was emanating a scent of protectiveness even as they simply sat at their dinner table, like he was expecting someone to jump out of the refrigerator and he wanted to be ready to defend his family from the fridge monster anytime. He also scent-marked both Castiel and Jack more often than he usually did.

There was something different about Castiel as well. Now, he knew since their first month together that Dean had a protective streak – but usually he hated it as much as he loved it. Well, _hated_ might be too strong a word, but he was wary of any alpha who might try to tell him how to do things (if only for his own good). Not that Dean had ever done that – but he could be a bit overbearing at times.

Castiel was certainly not alone in that assessment. Sam had joked about his protective brother on the first day he and Castiel had met. And at some point, the alpha seemed to have started to think about Castiel’s closest family members, Gabriel and Balthazar, as part of his pack. It was amusing, and endearing, to Castiel that Dean felt responsible for those two – and how they in turn seemed to like it even though they tried not to show it. It first occurred at a family dinner when one day Gabriel had grumbled – a lot more serious than his usual theatrics – about a co-worker who seemingly tried to mob him out of his position. Then Dean had surprised everyone at the table with a loud snarl and some strong protective vibes. Gabriel had blinked at him, strangely speechless for a few seconds, before he made fun about overbearing alphas, obviously directed at Dean. Who had ducked his head in embarrassment. But later that night, Castiel had watched his loud-mouthed brother lean into Dean when they cleaned the table together, and Dean had brushed a hand over his arm in a subtle claim. Balthazar had looked at them with wide eyes and a dropped jaw, looking like Castiel felt, but Sam had only shrugged. He had known Dean the longest and probably was the least surprised that Dean, the only alpha in their extended family, saw Castiel’s brother and cousin as part of his pack.

And as much as Castiel usually tried to make sure Dean knew he did not need any alpha to protect him – he had managed well enough on his own for eight years – he still loved that he could count on Dean to defend his family.

Castiel smiled as he poured the sauce over the vegetable lasagne and put the casserole in the fridge. It was stupid to feel concerned that Dean might leave. That the drama from 10 years ago would repeat itself. Even if Dean might one day lose interest in Castiel, he would still care for his children. And if something happened --- Castiel and Jack had a pack now, didn’t they? There were Gabriel and Balthazar – but also Sam and Eileen. And even Charlie, Benny or Gadreel.

Castiel heard a car park somewhere on the street but he did not look out the window. It was not Dean’s beloved Impala – Castiel might have no interest in cars but even he easily recognized the sounding purr of Dean’s Baby. Besides, the alpha and Jack would not be back for hours anyway. They had just left for some archery class and Castiel looked forward to a quiet afternoon. He had deliberately prepared dinner early, so he could now snuggle up on the sofa with a good book. His favourite pastime when both Dean and Jack were out of the house. He also read a lot when they were _in_ the house, but then he usually had to explain how this was basically work, because he needed to be up to date on bestsellers and a broad variety of other books for his customers in the library. Dean always just rolled his eyes with a grin and mumbled: “Yeah, work, sure. Now I’m gonna take a good look at Baby, so I´ll be prepared for anything that might happen at the garage. It’s not like this is anything I _want_ to do, but … you know, work.” But there was never any bite in his tone. It was true that the two of them had very different interests, but it never seemed to be a problem. If anything, they seemed to rub off each other in a healthy dose. In the last year, Dean had even picked up a book every now and then – and Castiel enjoyed going outside or take short trips with Jack and Dean more than he had expected. And as it turned out, Jack was not that much of an indoor kid as Castiel always had assumed. He still was not the most practical or athletic person, but with Dean’s guidance, he now could help change a tyre or handle a bow and arrow – and was really excited about those things. Even though he was still interested in scientific experiments most of all.

As he sat down, Castiel felt a bubbling feeling of joy in his chest. He sometimes liked to have a time machine, so he could travel back to his self from nine years ago, when he had been left with a baby an no friends or (as he had thought) family left, and tell himself that everything would be better someday. That Lucifer was not worth crying over, that he was strong enough to raise a child on his own. That it was okay to trust other people to help him.

Just as he had started reading with a happy hum, the doorbell rang and Castiel frowned at the clock. It was four p.m. and he did not expect any visitors. Granted, since they had moved to the suburbs, people came over without notice more often than before. There was that nice lady who sometimes brought over anything from her garden – vegetables, flowers or fruits she just had too much of – or that nice young couple who sometimes brought some leftover cake and cookies. Even Castiel had occasionally – and very proudly – distributed samples of his very own honey in the neighbourhood.

Thinking it was probably Ms Moseley – who often came by just to ask a quick question but then stayed the whole afternoon for tea, swooning over Jack, teasing Dean and complimenting Castiel. The omega smiled already as he opened the door – Missouri was well-liked in this household, as much as she sometimes could get quite invasive.

But Castiel’s smile froze as he looked into the eyes of his visitor. Eyes he had not seen for more than a decade, at least not out of any newspaper articles about a certain software company.

“Hello, Castiel. It’s been too long.”

Weeks later, Castiel would still wish he could tell people that he had simply slammed the door in Lucifer’s face. Wished he could claim he had made any clever, aloof remark. Even if he had punched his ex, it would have been better – at least according to Gabriel, Balthazar _and_ Dean.

But Castiel basically just stood there while his brain tried (and seemingly failed) to reboot.

Before Castiel had a chance to say or do anything (stupid, non-working brain!), Lucifer Morningstar, successful CEO of Morningstar Inc and biological father of Jack Winchester, had side-stepped the dumbstruck omega and said with a bland smile: “Why don’t I come in, so we can catch up after all those years?”

Like he was in a trance, Castiel automatically closed the door and turned around to face Lucifer again, who was now in the middle of their living room, looking completely out of place.

“You have a nice home here, Castiel. I’m glad you have done so well for yourself.”

Finally, Castiel had regained his ability to speak, but all that came out was a high-pitched: “Luce?”

Again, Castiel soon would wish he had been more eloquent at the time. He should have told the alpha that his current comfort certainly had nothing to do with Lucifer. Maybe he could have even told him how easily he had managed those past years as a single, unmated omega, childish and untruthful as that might have been. But mostly, he should have just thrown Lucifer out of his house right away.

But all Castiel could do was blink. He was honest enough that he had thought about meeting Lucifer again, if only in his dreams. The first couple of years, he had usually imagined how Lucifer would fall to his knees and beg Castiel to take him back, promising him how much he had changed – and in the end, they had been a happy family. Now, Castiel only gritted his teeth at that idea. He would have never been happy with that alpha, and Jack wouldn’t have been either. Then there had been the nightmares of Lucifer meeting him at the times when Castiel had hardly been able to buy enough food for himself and Jack. Then he had nearly stopped thinking about Lucifer altogether. Until recently, childish as it may be, Castiel had once or twice thought about accidentally running into his ex – strolling down the street with a happy Jack on his hand, and handsome Dean on his other side, Castiel himself looking good in a suit.

But never, not once, had Castiel imagined for Lucifer to just show up at his doorstep on an uneventful Saturday afternoon when Castiel wore badly fitting jeans and a washed-out T-shirt that had some tomato sauce stains on it. He did not want to even think about his unkempt hair.

Lucifer, of course, looked great. He was wearing jeans and a dress shirt, pretty casual for him but the clothes still seemed expensive. He had aged since Castiel had last seen him in person, but being in his late thirties now, he only seemed more handsome than before, like he had somehow grown into his good looks. But while he was still watching Castiel with that bland smile of his, the omega automatically compared him to the alpha who now held his heart. Dean’s smile was something completely different. It was warm and playful, and it made his eyes crinkle in a way that still made the butterflies in Castiel’s stomach do a happy dance.

Thinking about Dean’s smile strangely seemed to get Castiel’s brain to work again (which was strange, because it usually did the opposite). The omega straightened his back and asked: “What are you doing here, Luce?”

Castiel was proud that his voice had returned to his gravelly tone.

“Is that a way to greet an old friend, Cassie?”

Lucifer looked at the couch which had a ruffled comforter and too many pillows in one place – Castiel had prepared for a long reading session and he refused to feel bad now that his house was not all tidy. The thought made him held his head just a little bit higher.

“We are not old friends. We used to be in a relationship. We broke up a decade ago, and not on good terms. Now we don’t have anything to do with each other anymore.” Castiel took in a deep breath – those were words he would be proud of later.

“But isn’t that a shame, Castiel? That we don’t have any contact with each other anymore? I’ve been thinking about you a lot those past months, and how unfortunate it was how we broke up.”

Castiel scoffed. _Unfortunate_, really. He wanted nothing but to throw Lucifer out of his house, but there was also a small part of him that was --- curious. What _was_ Lucifer doing here after all those years?

“I’ll ask again: Why are you here, Luce?”

“Like I said, I’ve thought about you a lot. And I want to give us another chance. You and me, we have been great together, haven’t we?”

Castiel thought about that for a moment. At the time, before his pregnancy, Castiel had believed that their relationship was great indeed. Lucifer Morningstar came from a rich family, he was undoubtedly brilliant _and_ handsome. Every omega in college had been swooning over him, including Castiel. The omega had been over the moon when Lucifer had asked him out on a date. But years later, Castiel had realised that their relationship had never been exactly healthy; he had just been too blind to see it at the time. Lucifer was irascible and short-tempered – but Castiel had thought that was just typical for a strong alpha. When Castiel had wanted to do something, Lucifer had made fun of his idiotic ideas and in the end, they always ended up where Lucifer wanted to be. It had been subtle at the time, but Castiel was sure by now that he would have never been truly happy with Lucifer. He was sure that Lucifer’s behaviour would have only worsened over time.

He knew it was probably unfair, but at the beginning of their relationship, Castiel had often compared Dean to his ex. On the surface they did not seem so different – both the image of a confident, manly alpha. But on their first “date” Dean had taken not only Castiel but also his son out to the _observatory_, which he was clearly not that interested in. He often teased Castiel, who would rather stay inside and read than do something more wxciting – but most of the time, he let him be and made some self-deprecating joke of having chosen an omega who was way too smart for him. And then there had been that remarkable affair of Jack throwing up in Dean’s car – and Dean had been very much concerned about _Jack_. (The fact that Dean had then spent the next two days cleaning the Impala was secondary. The important thing was how he had reacted to the white-faced Jack at the time. The boy had certainly not expected Dean to treat him so gently.) Castiel did not want to imagine what Lucifer would have done had his son vomited all over his most prized possession.

Still, Castiel was pretty sure that he would be mated to Lucifer right now if he had asked him at the time. Just as he was sure that he would not even be content if he had done so.

But Lucifer had _not_ asked him, had he? Even though Castiel had been with child, the alpha had told him there was no future for them. At least not with a child in the mix. So what had changed his mind now?

“Actually, I don’t think we were that great – and as I recall, you came to that conclusion even before I did. You made it pretty clear that I … what was it? Was too dumb to even take my pills properly? I am sure you never wanted that kind of omega as your future mate.”

“Oh, Castiel, that has been a long time ago. I’ve grown. I want a family now. With you. Don’t you think our son deserves a good home?”

Castiel tried to swallow down his rage. But the emotion instantly made him feel a lot better than that confused mess he had been before. It had also sharpened his senses. He finally had an inkling why Lucifer was truly here.

“Jack _has_ a good home.”

Lucifer chuckled, and ignored Castiel’s comment. “You know, since his fathers both have such unusual names, I think you could have given him one with a little more gravitas. _Jack_ is such a plain name.”

He had tried to sound amused, but Castiel could see that Lucifer was really irritated that his son had such a simple, common name. It brought a smug smile on Castiel’s face. He came from a religious family with mostly strange names from the Book – Gabriel had just lucked out. It had been some form of rebellion to name his son simply _Jack_. Castiel also did not want for his son to have to spell out his name half a dozen time every month for the rest of his life – he knew how that felt.

Lucifer must have caught Castiel’s smirk, because his eyes narrowed, like they always had done when Castiel contradicted him. Eleven years ago, it often had made Castiel quiet down because he had not wanted to start a fight. But now, the alpha had come uninvited to his house – and Castiel refused to be intimidated. So instead of backing down, Castiel declared: “It suits him.”

Lucifer deliberately misunderstood him. “And there I thought our son couldn’t be anything but extraordinary.”

Castiel refused to take the bait and simply looked at Lucifer, waiting for him to say what he came here to say and then be gone. Instead of explaining anything, Lucifer tried to stare him down, but Castiel did not look away. He had not allowed alphas to scare him so easily for a long time now.

“You’ve changed.”

“I had to.”

“You’re strong. I guess I couldn’t see that before. But I always wanted a strong mate.” Castiel scoffed. He did not believe _that_ for a second. But when he did not respond, Lucifer added: “Don’t tell me you have not thought about it in the past. You and I, sharing a mating bond.”

“Since you have found me somehow, I am sure you have noticed that I am Castiel _Winchester_ now. I already have a mate.”

Castiel did not want to think too much about what else Lucifer might have found out about him. He had not exactly been hiding – it was possible for a PI to track him down easily and get some superficial information.

This time it was Lucifer who scoffed. “What does this mean nowadays? We have a child together, Castiel, that is more important. _We_ should be together. I am sure your mate doesn’t want the offspring of another alpha anyway. He might kick him out as early as possible. Our son belongs to us, both of us. And with today’s surgery options, a mating bond can be easily broken.”

Castiel did not need anything else to confirm his suspicions. Lucifer was not here to win _him_ back, in some grand romantic gesture.

“I am sure that is true for you. Not that I have been following all the gossip around you, but how often have you been mated now? Twice? And all those girlfriends. You always seem so happy in those pictures.” It was partly a shot in the dark – Castiel knew that Lucifer had been mated at least once, but he never paid much attention to the stories around him. “Seems like all that is missing is a cute little Luce Morningstar Jr.”

Castiel’s voice had turned as cold as ice by the end. And Lucifer responded equally chilly, his amiable affectation finally gone: “I want to meet him.”

“Meet him? After ten years you come to my house to meet my kid? Seriously, what happened, Luce? You had some accident and now things,” Castiel motioned towards Lucifer’s crotch, “aren’t working anymore like they are supposed to?” A muscle in Lucifer’s jaw twitched, and Castiel knew he was not that far away from the truth. Castiel forced himself to laugh; it was an angry sound that lacked any amusement. “Wouldn’t that make a good headline? _Widely adored alpha bachelor can’t get it up anymore_.”

“I can very well…” Lucifer growled, then took a deep breath to calm himself. But his scent gave away how much Castiel’s words unsettled him. “The reason why I want to meet with my son are unimportant for now.” Castiel raised an eyebrow. “You’ve always been a reasonably intelligent omega, Castiel. So look at it this way: I could afford both him and you a good life. A great life, actually. I admit, you have done better for yourself than most single omega parents, but this cannot really be the life you had dreamed about when we first met in college? I mean, you are mated to a mechanic, Castiel. A mechanic! Don’t you think you are better suited for someone more extinguished than that? Don’t you think our _son_ deserves better? Together, we could send him to the best schools and universities while you could support him without having to work. I’m sure he could accomplish great things. Has he presented yet?”

Castiel was so surprised by the abrupt question that he shook his head before he had considered it.

“Well, then maybe one day he will even be one of those _widely adored alpha bachelors_ like his dad,” Lucifer joked with a tone that clearly was meant to placate Castiel. It had the opposite effect.

Of course Lucifer wanted Jack to be an alpha. Aside from the fact that Castiel was convinced his son would turn out to be a beta or an omega, it chafed him that Lucifer still found such things important. It irked him even more that he somehow thought he could just get back to him now that he had seemingly some problems to father any other children. And it absolutely _infuriated_ Castiel that Lucifer had just referred to himself Jack’s _dad_. He did not deserve that title.

“I want you to leave, Luce, and I want you to never come by my house ever again.”

Lucifer stood very still for a moment, hardly even breathing. Castiel remembered those moments. There was a quiet rage to Lucifer – when he was furious, he hardly ever got loud. But it did not make him less scary. Castiel remembered one poor waitress who had spilled a few drops of water – water! – on the omega’s shirt during dinner. Lucifer had raged – quiet and scary – that she had ruined their date, and had gotten her fired. He had told Castiel that he had just done that for him, but it had been one of the earliest moments when Castiel thought Lucifer might not be as dreamy as everyone thought. He was convinced that, eventually, that silent fury would have turned towards him.

“You cannot deny me to see him. It is my right.”

“No, it is not. You forfeit every right when you told me you didn’t want us. When you said he would be _my_ problem, and even refused to give us any financial support.” Castiel walked towards Lucifer with intent, but he was still surprised when the alpha backed away from him, in the direction of the front door. “You will leave right now, or I will call the police. Maybe even some tabloids.”

Lucifer looked at Castiel undecided. For a second, Castiel was uncertain if he would go. And then he heard a car driving up to their house, with a very familiar purr and squeaking doors. Not matter what Dean tried, they never really lost that quirk.

Castiel quickly looked at his watch. Dean and Jack had been away for hardly more than an hour, they should not be back so early. And as much as he would like to have Dean here in case Lucifer did not go willingly, Castiel did not want Jack anywhere near that alpha. Especially not without any advance warning.

But it was too late to do anything.

Lucifer and Castiel looked at each other, both seemingly torn at this new development. And neither reacted, they just stood there frozen – until the door opened and Jack came in, yelling: “Dad, we’re --- back.”

The last word was a lot quieter than the beginning of the sentence – it was the moment Jack realised that both his father and a stranger were already near the door. He looked between his dad and the strange alpha, and then walked a step backwards, almost bumping into Dean who came in behind him. Castiel did not know if Jack had recognised Lucifer Morningstar – he had seen a few pictures of him, but not recently – or if he only picked up on the tension in the air.

Dean, however, who stood now in the doorway right behind Jack, definitely knew who the stranger was. And he looked very much like he was making an effort not to snarl as he glared at Lucifer, who was now standing between Castiel on the one side, and Dean and Jack on the other. Unlike the rest of the group, Lucifer put on a smile. There was a moment of silence – Castiel could not decide what to say now that Jack was in the room; Dean was obviously as dumbfounded as Castiel had been half an hour ago, and even Lucifer did not seem to know if Jack’s sudden arrival was playing right into his cards, or not.

Finally, Lucifer turned fully towards Jack and crouched down a little. Dean immediately put a hand on the boy’s shoulder in a protective gesture, or maybe he simply did not want Jack to walk towards the other alpha.

“Hello, Jack. My name is Lucifer Morningstar. Do you know who I am?”

Jack frowned, and then quickly looked up at Castiel. The omega gave a quick nod at the question in his son’s eyes.

“You were dad’s boyfriend when he was still in school.” Jack paused and licked his lips nervously. “You are my biological father.”

“Yes, that is right,” Lucifer confirmed immediately, but Castiel still knew him well enough to see that he was surprised. Maybe he had not expected Castiel to be so honest with his son. And Castiel had often argued with himself, as much as with Gabriel, what he would tell his son. At this moment, he was very pleased he had simply told the truth. If he had followed Gabriel’s advice to invent some heroic war veteran who had died for his country, this situation would be a lot more difficult for all of them, but especially for Jack. “I came here to meet you, Jack. So we can get to know each other. Maybe we could do something for your birthday together. When is it, in four weeks?”

“Three.” Jack’s frown deepened to a grimace that looked strange on a child. “I am almost ten now. You never wanted to spend a birthday with me before. And I already have plans. Dean and dad wanted to take me and my friends to the medieval tournament. I already have a sword.”

Despite all the tension in the room, Castiel almost chuckled at Lucifer’s expression. He also saw Dean squeeze his son’s shoulder, and Jack turned around to look at Dean with a small smile. He seemed to be happy he had done something right – but also unsure what it was exactly that had pleased the alpha.

“Well, then maybe not the day of your birthday, but we will surely find another date to meet up and do something fun. I really want to get to know you and I am sure you have some questions for me, too. I am sorry I missed so many birthdays. Growing up with only one parent must have been very hard for you. You must have been wanting for many things.”

Dean let out the tiniest growl. “Castiel did a great job raising him on his own.”

“I am sure he has,” Lucifer mumbled, still looking only at Jack, which was probably best. Castiel was sure that a fight would break out as soon as the alphas locked eyes. “But I am sure, you would want an alpha father as well, Jack, and I would really like to be a part of your life again.”

Castiel let out a low growl himself. _Again_ was not exactly the right word. The only thing Lucifer had ever shared with Jack was some DNA. Castiel stepped forwards and opened his mouth to say something, but it seemed like his son had everything under control.

Jack put his hand over Dean’s, which was still lying on his shoulder. “I already have an alpha father.” Castiel thought he could not be happier about Lucifer’s expression, but then his son added in the brutal honesty of a child: “And I don’t want to go anywhere with you. I don’t know you, and you smell strange.”

Lucifer was taken aback, quite literally. He straightened and stepped back, away from Jack, in clear shock. But then he tried to cover it up in a laugh and started to say: “You’re quite something, Jack. Strong and decisive, just like…”

But as much as Lucifer tried to hide his true reaction behind a chuckle, his scent had become strong and irritated, so much so, that Jack leaned a little closer into Dean. At the same time, Dean’s scent had spiked as well – Jack did not seem to be intimidated by the alpha threat coming off his dad, though – and a growl started in his chest. Castiel decided it was time to end this drama before anyone started a brawl.

“I said it before, and I will say it only once more, Luce: It is time for you to go. You are not wanted here.”

Immediately, Dean stepped away from the door, gently pulling Jack with him, further away from Lucifer, who glared at Castiel.

“And the next time you decide it might be a good idea to show up, better call in advance,” the omega added.

Lucifer paused long enough for Castiel to worry. Dean pulled Jack behind him and managed to step next to Castiel, building a wall between Lucifer and the boy. Which unfortunately had the alphas facing each other in a short distance, staring right into each other’s eyes. Dean bared his teeth soundlessly.

“You will hear from my lawyer, Castiel”, and then, to everyone’s surprise, Lucifer turned around and left through the still open door.

Castiel immediately pulled his son into his arms while Dean walked out onto their porch, undoubtedly to watch Lucifer get into his car and drive away. Castiel pulled Jack down onto the sofa, hugging the boy, who looked still confused.

Dean came back a few minutes later, his outraged smell not as strong as it had been moments before. It was still immensely protective, but it had lost that violent edge. Dean sat down on Jack’s other side and pulled an arm around both his son and his mate. And Castiel willingly leaned into his alpha, ready to let go of the stress of that afternoon.

“I don’t like him,” Jack suddenly said. “Do I have to meet him again?”

“No, you don’t,” Castiel said forcefully. Dean just let out another growl which seemed to implicate agreement.

More to divert his son than out of any real interest, Castiel asked: “What are you doing here so early anyway?”

Immediately, Jack sat up straight and looked at his father with wide eyes: “Someone stole the key to the training cabin! You know, where all our equipment is.”

“What?”

And then Jack told a grand story about what he thought had happened – it included some nameless villains who did not want kids to have fun or being loud or something like that.

“Even though we are nearly in the forest, dad! I mean, there is no one we could disturb for miles! We played hide-and-seek while Dean tried to break into the storage room, but then we all had to go home anyway.”

>>><<< 

It was hours later, when Jack had fallen asleep on the couch, that Dean admitted to Castiel that there were probably no bad guys involved – it was more likely that Garth had misplaced the keys somewhere and they could easily get the spares from Charlie on Monday. Unfortunately, she had been away for the weekend.

“Well, I am glad you did not manage to break into the equipment room. You came back right in time.”

Castiel snuggled a little closer to Dean who already had both his arms around him while Jack drowsed at the other end of the couch. Castiel had told his mate all about his meeting with Lucifer by now and Dean had managed to calm him down considerably.

Still, he said: “You really think there is nothing he can do? You know, he’s got a lot of money.”

“I really think there is nothing he can do,” Dean said for the third time that evening. “Fortunately, money can only do so much. Jack has been living with you all his life, and it is a stable life. No lawyer can take him away from us. And don’t forget, Cas: There is no chance in hell that Jack would _want_ to leave. He is not a toddler anymore. There is no way he would willingly stay with Luce. Especially not after how that dick behaved today.” Dean bristled. “But seriously, the galls of that guy! Believing he can just come here and you and the kid would simply fall into his arms again. He should be happy I didn’t beat him right into the next hospital. Next time he shows up, I’ll be less friendly.” Dean growled lowly to prove how serious he was.

“I’m actually proud of you for showing so much restraint,” Castiel said. The words did not sound as teasing as he had intended.

“Proud – or disappointed?” Dean asked in the same tone between joking and dead-serious.

“I don’t like violent alphas, you know that,” Castiel replied. It was the truth, but it was also not really an answer. Because he did not want Dean to think it would be a good idea to get up and follow Lucifer to punch him after all, the omega added firmly: “And I definitely don’t want my mate to get arrested.”

Dean grunted. And Castiel was hopeful that he would not risk having to leave his family for some very short-lived pleasure.

“I guess he did not really think it through,” Castiel said, stirring Dean away from the topic of punching anyone’s ex. “He probably thought you and Jack were away, and that he could see how things were. You know, if there was a chance that I would be stupid enough to take him back. Or to find out what I told Jack about him … I think this was supposed to be the first step. That Jack suddenly barged in and was absolutely not interested in him probably did not fit into his plans.”

Dean chuckled. “Yeah, that kid was merciless. And rightfully so. Luce had his chance and he was stupid enough to let you go.” He turned them around a little, so that instead of lying next to each other, Dean was now on top of Castiel. Then he nibbled lightly at his neck, making the omega’s toes curl. “You’re both mine now. And I know I am no genius, but I’m not dumb enough to drive you away.” Teeth scratched over Castiel’s mating mark and the omega had to bite his lips to stop a moan from escaping. He was about to push Dean away a little – they should get Jack into bed before the alpha started to put Castiel in that kind of mood! – when Dean crooned into Castiel’s ear: “You are the most amazing person I have ever met. Wanna hear some good news at the end of this crappy day?”

Castiel looked up at Dean with a wary expression. If this was leading to some dirty talk, they should definitely put Jack to bed first. The kid had just moved to the edge of the couch and looked like he was about to wake up. Or fall down. Probably because of the adults rolling around first. But Dean did not seem too concerned about Jack. He pulled back, so he looked down at Castiel, straight into his eyes, his own shining bright.

“You know, with all that stress, your scent was pretty strong tonight.” Castiel was just getting more confused. Of course his scent had been strong – just as much as Jack’s or Dean’s. Now that he noticed, the alpha smelled really good. Happy. Castiel raised an eyebrow as he suddenly had an idea what Dean was talking about. The alpha’s smile just widened.

“Congrats. You’re gonna be a dad again.”

Then Dean leaned down and captured Castiel’s lips in a kiss.

And somehow, in that moment, Castiel let go of the rest of his fears. He allowed himself to just be happy. As much as it had stressed him out, there was probably one good thing about meeting his ex today. Seeing the two alphas in one room, Castiel thought it was ludicrous that he had ever any doubts about Dean.

There was some movement on the other side of the couch and Jack somehow managed to snuggle between the two adults, making Castiel chuckle and Dean groan as a knee hit his thigh.

Castiel felt Dean’s hand in his hair and saw him stroking over Jack’s head as well. He smiled softly. He had a feeling that the marking and protective scent would be a permanent companion for the next months, if not years.

Castiel was all right with that. He smiled at the image of them all in their garden, Castiel under the apple tree with a book, Jack doing some experiment or other, and Dean pushing the swing with their little girl in it, both giggling. Maybe she would have Dean’s green eyes and Castiel’s dark hair…

Jack yawned and rubbed his head over Castiel’s chest. His scent was as excited at the adults were.

“So… this does this mean I will soon have a baby brother?”

Castiel looked down at his son, a little frown on his face.

Then he shrugged. Another boy would be just as great. It was not like it was in his hands, anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, I know, all this sweetness might rot your teeth! So don’t forget to brush them extra-carefully tonight!
> 
> As always: English is not my first language, so please forgive me my mistakes.
> 
> Kudos and comments always make me happy. :-D


End file.
